


Bournmouth's Best

by The_Distortion212



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:29:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24636844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Distortion212/pseuds/The_Distortion212
Summary: This is a The Magnus Archives AU where Jon, Tim, Martin and Sasha all share a house and Elias is their scummy landlord. Hope you enjoy :)
Relationships: Basira Hussain/Alice "Daisy" Tonner, Elias Bouchard/Peter Lukas, Georgie Barker/Melanie King, Martin Blackwood & Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Sasha James/Tim Stoker
Comments: 12
Kudos: 44





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter one: new beginnings 
> 
> Hi everyone. I wrote this first chapter at 4am cause I can't sleep. Also this is unedited so I apologise for any spelling mistakes. Hope you enjoy this first chapter!

Tim and Jon were absolute polar opposites. Tim was a tall, charismatic and intelligent man despite his goofy demeanour. Jon on the other hand, was a short grumpy man with the general aura of a 50 year old divorcee going through a midlife crisis... despite being only 25.

They were as different as two people could be, yet they grew up in Bournemouth, living only a few houses apart. They were the only children in the neighbourhood so naturally, as most British school children do, they kicked a ratty, slightly damp football around for the better half of their evenings. Tim's little brother would sometimes join them, but he never really was an outdoorsy person. Tim's mind liked to dwell on the memory of the three of them playing outside when they were young. Danny was so much happier then, full of child-like wonder and pure joy.

Tim stood in the small blue box bedroom and picked up a photo of him and Danny, eyes lingering on his late brother's face. He wiped the small pool of tears beginning to form in his eyes and set the photo at the top of the last moving box labelled 'fragile'.  
"I'm really going to miss you" Tim whispered under his breath.

"Tim! We only have the moving van for an hour, so get your ass down here!" Jon called from the downstairs of Tim's parents home.  
After Danny's sudden death, Tim felt like a void of emotions. Jon had tried his best to be there for him but the death of your only brother isn't something that you can just magically be ok with. So last week when Tim and Jon went out for a smoke, Jon had a proposition for Tim.  
"you know.. After my grandmother died, she left me an old house we used to use as a summer home" Jon spoke in the most casual tone he could muster. Tim turned to look at Jon with a hint of intrigue in his eyes.

"In truth, I remembered it being like something out of a horror film, but I went to visit it again a few days ago and the place surprisingly homey" Jon took a drag of his cigarette and continued-

"I was thinking of moving out there for the summer but I can't keep paying the rent since I quit that strange archive job."  
Tim had to admit, the idea of living anywhere else but his parents house sounded like heaven.

"yeah, ok." he stared blankly.

Jon gave Tim a small smile. "We will have to get a few other housemates but I'm sure that will be easy enough. It'll be like a fresh start Tim, just you, me and two absolute strangers." he said with a weak laugh.

Tim dropped his cigarette and stamped it out. "sounds great."


	2. Moving day part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys move in and the first house mate arrives.

The house was larger than Tim thought it would be. It looked to be a once grand house with Edwardian style architecture and a winding spout of ivy climbing up the left hand side of it. 

“Wow, Jon. You didn’t tell me we were moving into Dracula’s layer!” Tim spoke with a laugh. He would bet money on this place being built in 1900. 

“Tim… I told you the place was run down. Nobody's been here in years.” Jon said not amused. “Besides, you think it's funny when you have to help clean the place up.” Jon smirked. 

Tim gave Jon a clearly over-dramatic look of sorrow and sighed heavily, “But my dear Jonathan! I couldn’t possibly put my dainty hands through such rigorous abuse! Plus the new roommates will be here soon, just make them do it.” Tim spoke in a sarcastic tone. 

Jon pulled the Van into the overgrown driveway. “You can be such a dick, Tim. Now, C’mon, we need to move our things inside before Martin and Sasha get here.” Jon said lightheartedly before stepping out of the moving van. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was around three in the afternoon when Tim was finally able to coax Jon into taking a break from unpacking. Both of the men had worked up a sweat from moving heavy boxes all afternoon and the glaring summer sun was absolutely lethal this time of day. Jon couldn't help but feel like someone was purposely messing with the weather to make his moving day a nightmare, but that was an insanely irrational thing to think. 

Tim lugged a heavy box into the kitchen labelled ‘fragile’ and began to unpack the few plates and glasses that the two of them owned while Jon put the kettle on.

“Tim? Where did you put the tea? Jon asked, standing on the tips of his toes to see what was on the high shelf. 

“I thought you brought some? Mum said she forgot to get some when she did the weekly shop, remember? So I asked you to bring a box.” Tim explained, with a hint of confusion in his voice.

Jon’s face went slightly pale. “Fuck.” he spoke with a whisper so low Tim could barely hear. 

“You. Did. Not. Jon. I just know you wouldn’t deprive me of delicious tea when the nearest village is at least a mile away?!” Tim spouted in panic. 

Jon almost felt bad. 

Just as he was about to come up with some shit apology for forgetting to pack tea, the piercingly loud sound of a doorbell rang out.   
“You have to answer the door Jon, I’m too upset to greet a new person right now, you’ve betrayed me.” Tim loudly said jokingly as he dramatically faked a few sobs. Jon genuinely thought If Tim hadn’t decided to study Marine Biology then he would make one hell of an actor.

Jon navigated around the front hallway, almost knocking down a few boxes and opened the large, dusty front door. 

He was greeted with a man much taller than himself. He had a mop of messy blond hair that suited his rounded face. He looked down at Jon with his kind blue eyes and shook Jon’s Hand. 

“Hi! My name's Martin Blackwood. You must be Jon?”


	3. Martin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has bad language and mentions of verbal abuse, just incase you're not into that stuff.

“Hi, I’m Martin Blackwood. You must be Jon?” 

Jon paused for a moment before shaking the larger man’s hand quickly. He didn't like to prolong any unnecessary and uncomfortable contact. 

“Hello. Yes, I’m Jon. Umm, please come in and make yourself at home.” He said awkwardly, giving Martin a tight and uncomfortable smile. He really was trying his best to be friendly, but new people were always difficult for him to deal with. 

Martin gazed down at Jon with a big goofy smile. “Well, It’s a pleasure to meet you! I’ve got a few boxes to carry in, could you show me what room is mine? 

“Uhh, yes! Just let me...Tim!” Jon yelled. Tim sauntered out from the kitchen and down the hall toward the two and gave Martin a flirtatious wink. 

“Jon, you didn’t tell me that our new housemate is an absolute hunk!” 

Jon could see Martin's cheeks turn a bright red. “Tim, for God's Sake leave him alone. Martin’s only just got here and you're already harassing him.” He sighed. “Just for that, you can help him bring his things inside.”

Tim scoffed at Jon’s obvious distaste for his boldness. “To be honest, with arms like that he could lift me and the boxes” He said, giving Martin another playful wink. If it was even possible, Martin's face became a deeper shade of red. 

“Ok, ok, I’ll stop.” Tim reluctantly said as Jon slapped him on the arm, with a surprising force. 

“Uhh, so, can one of you please show me where my room is?” Martin squeaked out, clearly feeling embarrassed by the whole interaction. 

Tim turned to face him, “Depends, have you brought any tea with you?” 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon passed with ease as Tim, Jon and Martin unpacked their things. As it had turned out, Martin brought a selection of teas with him because in his opinion, there was no such thing as too much tea. As you can imagine, Tim was over the moon. 

The three men spent hours unpacking and soon it was evening. The sun was beginning to set as oranges and pinks laced the sky. Martin particularly loved this time of day. Something about the bright, colourful sky slowly fading to black was beautiful to him. 

His mind overflowed with all sorts. Martin sat down on the old bed in the centre of his new room and took a small notebook from the back pocket of his jeans. 

And he wrote. 

Nothing special. Nothing actually worth anyone's time, he thought. Nonetheless, he needed to get his thoughts out somehow and poetry was just his preferred method. His mind was focused on the words in front of him as he read over and over the small verse again and again. Then he heard voices coming from downstairs. "better go see what's causing a fuss, eh?" he thought. 

As Martin approached the bottom the the staircase, he could see Tim laughing in the hallway with Jon and.. A woman? 

".. And you know what traffics like in the city hahah, so yeah, it's a lovely place you have here! " the woman confidently spoke. Then she turned to face Martin. 

"Hi! I'm Sasha, just got here. You hungry by any chance?" 

Martin smiled at her, she was clearly a cheery person and he was the same. They were bound to get along great. 

"She brought pizza, Martin, Pizza!" Tim cried with obvious joy. Jon didn't seem as impressed but he was smiling slightly. 

He was going to be happy here, Martin thought. Yeah.. Things were going to be okay again. 

"Right then, I'm starving. Let's eat." he said.

\-------------------------------------------------

Martin stood in the living room of his old family home. All of the furniture was covered in a thick layer of dust. His mother hadn't been out of bed in a few weeks. Her nurse had been out to check up on her daily but Martin still felt he had an obligation to be there. After all, it was his own mother. 

It didn't matter to him that she wouldn't even meet his gaze. He told himself it didn't matter that she had spat on him the last time he tried to bring her a cup of tea to soothe her. It didn't matter that she had ignored him for the full three hours he had been by her side. 

The room was dark and Martin couldbt see his mother's face clearly. She had been silent and unmoving, except for the soft rise and fall of the blankets that he assumed was her breathing. 

But then she sat up. Suddenly and in one rigid motion. The light from the window was faint but it was bright enough that Martin could see her eyes. 

Oh her eyes. 

They were wide with fear and intent. She was looking directly at him and smiling. 

Martin was beginning to panic. 

He watched as her crooked form cracked and jolted until she was on all fours, crawling towards him with her eyes still fixed on his. 

"you know Martin… you always were such a fucking useless boy." she spat with venom, slowly making her way towards him. 

Martin was standing against the wall, his breathing laboured. He couldn't move. 

He couldn't fucking move. 

The realisation that he was stuck there made him stop breathing all together. 

"You look so much like your father that no one can stand to look at you. I'm going to change that Martin." she squealed with a child like delight and let out a sound that Martin thought should have sounded like a laugh. 

"I'm going to take your eyes Martin." she shrieked inhumanly as she lept from the bed and onto him. 

Then he woke up with a shreik. 

He was crying. 

It took Martin several minutes to get his breathing under control. His head was pounding and he had sweated through his shirt. Fuck, he really thought he was done with this. The nightmares of his mother had been going on for months even though she was finally dead. He didn't feel guilty. She had been horrible and abusive toward him for years. Martin thought since she had died that he wouldn't have to deal with the abuse anymore but she seemed to forever be planted in his head, telling him how worthless he is. 

He knew that if he fell asleep again that she would be there, waiting for him. So he decided a cup of tea might settle his mind. 

Martin made his way downstairs quietly and walked into the kitchen. As he turned the corner, he almost jumped out of his skin. 

"woah, fuck sake Jon. What are you doing up at 3 in the morning?!" he whisper shouted at Jon, who had a moldy horrified look on his face. 

"I couldn't sleep, Martin. Why else would I be up this early?" Jon retorted with what Martin considered, a truly unnecessary amount of hatred. 

Though, he had to admit, he didn't expect Jon to be that good at painting. The canvas was a dark maroon that consistently crept throught the portrait on top. It was a older man, in what looked like his mid 50's with a stunning white and blue sailors uniform. Whoever he was, Martin thought he was really attractive. In a sort of silver fox way. 

Martin didn't know how long he was staring at the painting, but by the look on Jon's face, it had been a weirdly long time. His cheeks flushed with embarrassment as he saw the puzzled look that Jon gave him. 

"I- it's v-very well painted." he stuttered out. 

Jon's face was blank. "Thank you Martin" 

He nodded at Jon awkwardly and stepped to the other side of the kitchen to make himself tea. Jon went back to painting and Martin watched him as he waited for the kettle to boil. 

Jon's had danced across the canvas in a way Martin found strangely compelling. He must be good with his hands, Martin thought to himself. 

"fuck off, I cant be thinking things like that" martin thought with disgust. 

He made his tea quickly and rushed back upstairs, trying to avoid any more contact with Jon out of sheer embarrassment. 

A few minutes later, Martin had been sat on the side of his bed, going through a few different books he could read to avoid sleep. Then he heard a weak knock at his bedroom door. 

Jon stood there with a small plate of biscuits. "I.. I uh. You looked sad.. Or angry. Maybe both. But that's not the point-" Jon stuttered. "I brought you these. Goodnight Martin" Jon shoved the plate into Martins hands and walked away quickly. 

"okay? Thanks I guess?" Martin spoke, slightly stunned. Jon was nice and all but it was clear to him that he wasn't a people person. He certainly didn't think that Jon would attempt to cheer him up. He thought an insult or a bored commend would be more likely. Whatever, If this was Jon's weird way of cheering him up it was working. It was endearing. Even if he hardly knew the guy, it was a nice gesture. 

Martin sat back down and read until the daylight seeped through the sheer curtains covering his window. 

\-------------------------------------------------

The morning had begun with a hectic start. Tim's loud shower singing had woken up Sasha who had screamed at him to shut up, in turn, waking up a furiously tired Jon who used a excessive amount of colourful language to shut them both up. 

Martin on the other hand, didn't sleep at all. So he got up early and made some pancakes for everyone. He figured it would be a nice way to brighten everyone's mood, since it was clear the morning had started off rough.

Tim arrived in the kitchen first and ate an ungodly number of pancakes. He had to cut Tim off around the 12th pancake or else there would be none left for anyone else. Sasha joined them soon after and ate her fill. Martin was glad everyone seemed to be in a slightly better mood. Well… excluding Jon who had yet to be seen. 

Martin and Sasha were In the middle of listing to Tim talk about some sort of microorganism that lived at the bottom of the ocean, Sasha clearly seeming more invested in the story than Martin. 

Soon Tim and Sasha began talking about some science thing that Martin couldn't understand. It turned out that they both worked in a similar field of research. Without warning, Jon entered the room looking like a wet rat that had just emerged from the sewers. 

"I think the bathroom sinks broken. " Jon said quietly, as the other three tried not to laugh at him. 

They would have to phone the landlord.


End file.
